Topsfield youth group visits South Dakota reservation

The Congregational Church of Topsfield, along with churches from Danvers and Burlington, took 77 youth and mentors to South Dakota for a week this summer. I was one of the 77 who flew out to Denver, Colorado then drove collectively ten hours to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

By Submitted by Amanda Bibbins

Wicked Local

By Submitted by Amanda Bibbins

Posted Jul. 29, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 29, 2010 at 8:58 AM

By Submitted by Amanda Bibbins

Posted Jul. 29, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 29, 2010 at 8:58 AM

Topsfield

» Social News

The Congregational Church of Topsfield, along with churches from Danvers and Burlington, took 77 youth and mentors to South Dakota for a week this summer. I was one of the 77 who flew out to Denver, Colorado then drove collectively ten hours to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

In the weeks leading up to our trip, I didn’t know what to expect. A combination of nerves and excitement to explore the unknown took hold of me as I got up early, boarded the plane to Denver, and then the bus to Pine Ridge. As I look back now, this only foreshadowed the experience I was about to have.

For the duration of our trip, we stayed at RE-MEMBER, a non-profit organization located on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. With the help of volunteers, they work towards building relationships with the Oglala Lakota people on the reservation, while trying to increase the standard of living in this poverty-stricken zone. They gave us a place to stay, fed us three times a day, and provided us with history lessons about the reservation.

Throughout the week, we visited Wounded Knee, hiked in the Badlands, and went to a traditional Pow Wow over 4th of July weekend. We also did various construction jobs across the reservation. Some of us painted houses while others skirted trailers. I was fortunate enough to build two decks/wheelchair ramps. I also got over my fear of heights long enough to help roof a house. But this trip was more than an insignificant fear, or just "getting the job done." For just one week, we were provided with the opportunity to live in someone else’s reality.

We met Cassie, the woman with nine children, 14 cats, four dogs, and an abundant supply of hospitality. We played games with Precious, the 7-year-old living in Allen, the poorest neighborhood in the poorest community in America. And yet she had the brightest spirit I've ever seen in a child, with her cheerful smile, endless energy, and diva attitude.

I remember vividly the neighborhood kids who passed by the work sites all day with hopes of catching a glimpse of the "strange white kids next door." We let them wear our work gloves and help chop wood. We played “Duck Duck Goose” with them, and exchanged stories over lunch. And then there were the kids who begged, and begged some more because word of the naïve, visiting teenagers must have spread fast. And I remember “Uncle” Will Peters, one of our guest speakers at RE-MEMBER. He had a modern way of introducing traditional culture, and connected with each one of us on the trip.

The Lakotas work to spread the idea of "Mitakuye Oyasin", meaning "We are all related." The peoples with skin colors of red, white, yellow, and black, and every shade in between are welcome. Yet we set down barriers by distinguishing “our people” versus “their people.” How can my own school, Masconomet, named after a Native American chief, not incorporate the history of our mascot, the Chieftain, into the curriculum? I was surprised to learn that the term "chief" was a term white settlers gave to whichever Indian appeared to have the most followers, when it came to signing major documents.

Page 2 of 2 - I also learned how sacred the Black Hills are to the Lakotas, and how the unlawful seizure of their lands and the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 hurt their people. I was surprised to find out that merely two months ago, a Black Hawk helicopter landed at Wounded Knee, a no-fly zone. I'm ashamed to admit that before this trip, I still believed Indians lived in tepees. I can assure you, they do not. The Lakota people are simply just like you and me, yet despite a misinformed world beyond the reservation, they have so much hope concentrated in their community.

Considering that the teen suicide rates, alcoholism, and diabetic rates are off the charts on the reservation, the amount of optimism within each member of the reservation is incredible. Each child has so much potential. As I frequently like to remind myself: Everyone may have the potential, but not everyone is presented with the opportunities.

We are unbelievably fortunate here in the Tri-Town, and it's a slow realization I've had to come to over the past few weeks. While we returned home from the reservation, the Lakota people are there 24/7, and don't have the option to leave after just one week, just a taste of the vicious poverty cycle.

But I can't break this cycle on my own, although I'd like to think I can. I can only set the ball in motion. I truly believe the Lakota people are on to something when they spread the message of bonds among the races. Please join me in raising awareness for the Oglala Lakota Nation. And remember: Mitakuye Oyasin.

Rally Day reflections

To learn more about the Oglala Lakota Nation and RE-MEMBER, visit www.RE-MEMBER.org. If you’d like to hear the reflection of our trip, please join us on Sunday, September 19 in the Emerson Center (9 East Common Street, Topsfield) following Sunday’s service at the Topsfield First Congregational Church.